Hurricane Nate expected Saturday

Hurricane Nate will race across the Gulf of Mexico tonight and into the day on Saturday. The weather will rapidly go downhill across the area during the day tomorrow. The worst impacts from the storm will be Saturday evening and overnight. It looks like Nate will exit our region by Sunday morning.

If you have been asked to evacuate, please listen to your local emergency managers. This is because you are outside the hurricane risk reduction system and are in danger of severe water inundation from storm surge.

If you live within the levee system, our concerns will be power outages and wind damage along with localized flooding from heavy rain bands.

The weather for the rest of next week will be quiet with just a few storms possible on Monday and Tuesday.

For updates on-the-go and all day long, download our free FOX Weather App at fox8live.com/apps or call the Delta World Tire Weather Phone at 504-500-2888.

A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for Lafitte, Barataria and Crown Point.

A voluntary evacuation has been ordered for parts of St. John the Baptist Parish.

The voluntary evacuation is in effect for areas north of the Interstate-55 off-ramp at LaPlace.

Parish officials are also considering a voluntary evacuation for neighbors in the Pleasure Bend area.

For updates on-the-go and all day long, download our free FOX Weather App at fox8live.com/apps or call the Delta World Tire Weather Phone at 504-500-2888.

Watches and Warnings

Hurricane Warning

Grand Isle, La to the Alabama-Florida border

Storm Surge Warning

Morgan City, La. to the Alabama-Florida border

Northern and western shores of Lake Pontchartrain

Tropical Storm Warning

Punta Herrero to Rio Lagartos Mexico

Pinar del Rio

Metropolitan New Orleans

Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas

West of Grand Isle to Morgan City La.

Hurricane Watch

Punta Herrero to Rio Lagartos, Mexico

Metropolitan New Orleans, Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas

East of the Alabama-Florida border to the Okaloosa/Walton County line

West of Grand Isle to Morgan City La.

Storm Surge Watch

East of the Alabama-Florida border to Indian Pass, Florida

Tropical Storm Watch

East of the Okaloosa/Walton County line to Indian Pass, Fla.

West of Morgan City to Intracoastal City, La., Isle of Youth

Nate is moving toward the north-northwest near 21 mph and this motion is expected to continue through Saturday, with a turn toward the north and northeast expected Saturday night and Sunday.

On the forecast track, the center of Nate will move across the northwestern Caribbean Sea during the day on Friday and move near or over the northeastern coast of the Yucatan peninsula Friday night.

Nate will then move into the southern Gulf of Mexico Friday night and approach the northern Gulf coast Saturday and then move near or over the northern Gulf coast Saturday night or Sunday.

Reports from Air Force Reserve and NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds are now near 50 mph with higher gusts.

Additional strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Nate is expected to become a hurricane by the time it reaches the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles mainly to the east of the center.

The minimum central pressure estimated from the Hurricane Hunter data is 996 millibars.

Next intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 1 p.m. followed by the next complete advisory at 4 p.m.

For updates on-the-go and all day long, download our free FOX Weather App at fox8live.com/apps or call the Delta World Tire Weather Phone at 504-500-2888.

GOODBYE ANDY: helping a vet

As Andy Wise looks back on his rewarding career in the Mid-South, it's not the bad guys he exposed whom he remembers. It's the innocent victims and the partners Andy pulled together to help precious people like Earnest Sanders, Jr.

As Andy Wise looks back on his rewarding career in the Mid-South, it's not the bad guys he exposed whom he remembers. It's the innocent victims and the partners Andy pulled together to help precious people like Earnest Sanders, Jr.

Youngstown State University student Albert Maruna was caught red-handed and arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, who turned out to be an undercover officer.

Youngstown State University student Albert Maruna was caught red-handed and arrested this week after he allegedly attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old boy, who turned out to be an undercover officer.